13 October 2023

Atwood Newsletter 13th October 2023

It has been another bumper week of learning at Atwood.

YEAR GROUP BY YEAR GROUP

This week Nursery have been learning about the number four and enjoying the book’ We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen.

Reception have been learning all about skeletons linked to the book ‘Funnybones’ by Janet and Allan Ahlberg and discovering ’more’, ‘equal’ and fewer’.  You can read more about the exploits of EYFS on the website here.

In Year One, in maths, the children have started their learning about addition and subtraction.  They partitioned numbers and then in another lesson used the part-whole model to recombine numbers before moving on to write number sentences. In English, the children created their own stories using adjectives and in thematic, they have identified human and physical features in Sanderstead.  Some of the children have researched their family tree and created a poster.

Year Two, have made healthy muffins this week.  They used their maths skills when weighing and measuring ingredients and designed the packaging to take them home in.  They even designed and then included their own logo.

Year Three have been sketching The Crystal Palace and thinking about shading, tone and texture.  They also wrote instructions and used them to make their clay dinosaurs.

In Year Four, the children have been studying the text ‘Henry’s Freedom Box’.  In science, they have been using thermometers to measure the temperature of warm and cold water and the soil outside the classroom.  They have also been learning Spanish to describe classroom objects.

In Year Five, the children have completed some excellent inventive versions of the story of Beowulf using lots of figurative language to set the scene.  In science, the children have been learning about forces they investigated levers and set up an experiment to find out where the position of a fulcrum needs to be in order to lift a heavy load

Finally, Year Six have been continuing their learning about Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes movement.  They have written speeches as Emmeline to persuade the public to help fight her cause for women’s equality and their vote.  They look forward to performing the speeches in role next week.  In science, the children have been learning about Charles Darwin’s  ‘ Theory Of Evolution!’   The children carried out an experiment to see which coloured caterpillar would be eaten and which colour would survive!

Elsewhere, the KS1 children have been enjoying their dance club. They have only had four lessons and already been introduced to Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop and Ballet!

A POLITE REMINDER

Please remember that children are not allowed to bring sweets or food treats in to school to share for their birthdays.  We understand that many children would like to celebrate their birthdays with their classmates but unfortunately we must be mindful of children’s dietary requirements and allergies.  If you would like to provide the class with a small gesture to celebrate, children are welcome to bring in a pencil or similar.  Alternatively, if you would like to donate a book the teacher will read it with the class at the end of the day.

PARKING IN TANDRIDGE CLOSE

If you are someone who uses Tandridge Close to drop your child to school, please respect our neighbours by not parking across anyone’s driveway.  Also, in order to keep the air clean and keep our children healthy, please turn off your engine whilst waiting.

PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT

Thank you to all the parents who attended parents’ evenings this week.  If you were unable to attend or have yet to make an appointment, please get in touch with your child’s class teacher to arrange a suitable time.  These meetings are an important opportunity for you to find out how your child has settled this year and to hear more about what they are doing in class.

SPORTING NEWS

On Monday this week a selection of Year 5 and 6 pupils represented the school at the Croydon Cross Country event.  In unseasonably hot weather, the children raced over a hilly 1.6km course.  The children performed admirably with some strong placings and excellent effort all round.  Well done to all the children who took part and congratulations to Eloise who has qualified for the London Youth Games after a strong 3rd place finish.

Our boys’ football team kicked off their season this week with their first match against Heavers Farm.  In a hard fought match, Atwood eventually ran out 2-0 winners with goals from Zac and Hamish, a man of the match performance from Peter and a rock solid defensive performance from Kai.  Well done to all the boys.

WEAR RED DAY

On Friday 20th October, we will be supporting Wear Red Day to Show Racism the Red Card. Children can wear something red to school to support this campaign.  They can wear as much or as little red as they like from a red hair band or red socks right through to a full blown red suit. Football kits are permitted. This is an awareness raising event and not a fund raising event so there is no need to bring money to school.  However, if you would like to read more about the campaign or make a donation, you can find more information here

AND FINALLY …

Today is Friday the 13th and it is seen by many as an unlucky day.  Some people believe the origins of this reputation lie in Norse Mythology. According to one legend, 12 gods were at a banquet in Valhalla when Loki, the demi-god of mischief who was not invited, turned up, bringing the total number of guests to 13. He was responsible for the chaos that led to the death of one of the good gods, Balder, so all the gods grieved. There’s even a name to describe the irrational dread of the date: paraskevidekatriaphobia

Hopefully, you’ve all had a lucky day and have an even luckier weekend.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Please check the dates below as new dates are being added:

  • Friday 20thOctober Wear Red Day
  • Friday 20thOctober: End of half term
  • Wednesday 1stNovember:  Start of half term
  • Thursday 2nd November: Year 2 Diwali Workshop
  • Friday 3rd November Harvest Assembly.  We will be asking for donations for a local food bank.  More details will follow
  • Thursday 14th December Reception Christmas performances 9.30am and 2.30 pm
  • Tuesday 19thDecember: KS1 Christmas performances 9.30am and 2pm. Details to follow.
  • Thursday 21stDecember: End of autumn term

Image Gallery

This article was posted to:

Published on 13th October, 2023

Scroll for more! Continue
Close
Translate
Choose Language:
Close
Share: